college dorm mold lawsuit

In October 2021, the universitys consultant inspected three rooms in Chipley Hall and found a small amount of mold in a units shared bathroom. Then Hurricane Dorian swiped Charleston, causing water damage to the building and a severe mold outbreak. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. During his freshman year in 2019, Milliken was excited to land a room in College Lodge, a dorm along bustling Calhoun Street. Despite that challenge, Kennedy said we kind of know which buildings had the most mold problems based on work orders and staff experience. At the same time, he was aware of how sensitive university officials were about mold. keys to navigate, use enter to select, Stay up-to-date with how the law affects your life. It can be difficult to reconcile such problems with university endowments that can reach billions of dollars. All rights reserved. Annemarie Cuccia saw the black mold spread through rooms in her dormitory five on her floor in a span of about two weeks last September. Theyve hired mold specialists and are working to install dehumidifiers as well as inspect and clean rooms where service for mold was requested. But that dorm has long been a petri dish. In interviews, they spoke about the complexity of the issue: how mold might affect one person but not another, how mold is present everywhere, how a majority of complaints are either minor issues or not mold at all. Colleges can also educate students about mold and its ideal conditions. If youre not sure if there is mold in your dorm or not, or if your college needs proof that there is a problem, we recommending calling in a certified mold tester. Since college newspapers often document mold outbreaks first, the Uncovered team also worked with Daily Gamecock journalists at the University of South Carolina and a journalist with The Tiger at Clemson University. Sam Watson, the universitys spokesman, said the school could not discuss Carr's death, but he noted that no one from Carr's suite had lodged any complaints about mold. Visit as many of your sons prospective campuses as you can over the next few weeks as he makes his final choice. Her parents began to suspect mold. "We've got a big campus and 7,000 rooms, so we've got a lot" of work. (Getty Images), Off-duty Chicago cop interrupts robbery, shoots suspect on South Side: officials, Moraine Valley psych students get a crash course in empathy by helping others, Alderman blocks Norfolk Southerns Englewood rail yard expansion with delay on land vote: Its just been a disrespect to me and the community, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. BLOOMINGTON, Ind. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. Reduced immunity. In the late-summer heat and humidity, the walls would sweat and the ceilings drip, ruining books. Damages often include medical costs, related losses (such as time off work to recover from injury), and the cost of cleanup and structural restoration. Wipe up any water spills immediately. 148 Williman Street Mold or not, maintaining old buildings and so much space "is a difficult situation that we have to deal with," said Cliff Hamilton, director of environmental health and safety. Twitter: @tbartelme 843-790-0805, South Carolina college students reported more than 2,400 mold cases during the past two years, often citing allergy flare-ups and other symptoms while desperately pleading with housing officials to do something. For instance, it could be the result of construction defects, faulty materials, poor architectural design, or the previous owner's failure to disclose known problems. Cloudy. School officials here downplayed students'. Interest from students and housing officials and even state government. Early spring campus scene at Indiana University in Bloomington Indiana. Symptoms of mold exposure often mimic those from other illnesses, creating medical mysteries. She said she called FIXX, the universitys maintenance system, over and over. The university contended Evans exaggerated her illnesses and denied it was at fault for her health problems. The maintenance team even saw the bathroom and said it was a health and safety issue, they even said they'd take care of it. If you spot it, put it on your email list.). or redistributed. I kind of just have an assumption that there are some things about college facilities that are just bad, like dorms are never just amazing, food is never just amazing, said Ms. Cuccia, the Georgetown sophomore. Gabby Alphonse, Dec. 28, 2022 | ? Taking these steps may prevent mold in dorms. This photo was included in one of the inspection reports obtained by The Post and Courier. In an email sent on September 19, staff had encouraged students to report mold incidents. Consider what happened to Kayra Rice at Francis Marion University in Florence. The bathroom was just black, Blaschke told The Daily Gamecock for this report. Millikensaid the university eventually moved them to a temporary room in McAlister Hall. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff, SOURCE: UNIVERSITY DOCUMENTS FROM FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUESTS. Stay up-to-date with how the law affects your life. About a month later, I started getting really, really terrible pains in my ears, said Ms. Cuccia, 19. Your information is confidential and will only be shared with your permission. Caitlin Herrington/Staff, Columbia Hall on the campus of the University of South Carolina. Despite that large number, one USC housing official said she was surprised: She thought the number would be higher. Meghan Hartman, Oct. 11, 2022 | And it seemed to get worse when she was in her dorm, her mother told The Post and Courier earlier this year. Mold exposure affected me a lot.. Post a query on the College Confidential discussion forum asking parents and current college students about their own experiences with mold at the colleges your son is considering. These documents are available to the public under the states Freedom of Information Act. His roommate got sick again. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Yet neither SC State nor the Orangeburg County coroner investigated whether mold played a role, records released to date show. By submitting your email, you agree to College Confidential's. And aging buildings are especially prone to mold outbreaks. Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs contributed reporting. Photos from the inspections show blackish mold hiding in air vents, fuzzy white fungi crawling on bed frames and under mattresses, and dark blotches spreading on the back of a mirror. More recently, researchers have estimated that between 3 to 10 percent of the general population is allergic to mold. Even relatively wealthy institutions can find themselves with tight operating budgets and little means to finance building projects other than appealing to donors. She grew sicker and sicker. The college also is suing the buildings contractors and developers, alleging design and construction flaws. While plenty of students defect for off-campus apartments, the units that students on a budget can afford may not be any better maintained than the dorms. Meeting with a lawyer can help you understand your options and how to best protect your rights. The newspaper details how Maryland is taking care of this issue. University of South Carolina had to relocate some of the students in one of the womens dorms after they developed respiratory problems related to mold. Summary Some students in South Hall have noticed they have been continually sick without explanation. She is the co-author of Panicked Parents' Guide to College Admissions; The Transfer Student's Guide to Changing Colleges and The International Student's Guide to Going to College in America. Its getting into clothes and hangers. Stay informed with the latest from the CC community, delivered to you, for free. So far, the project has progressed exceptionally well, said Tom Morrison, IUs vice president for capital planning and facilities. program, Proposed rule change would require audio recording for all hearings, prohibit stenography. This generated a number of false mold reports, they said, adding that they consider mold kits to be unreliable. She died there, her lungs full of fluid, a campus police report said. BLOOMINGTON, Ind. Vanderbilt University 2022: Students in five different dorms discovered mold in over 240 rooms. A young man tries to belly-slide down a flooded hallway. https://www.mold-help.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/moldhelp-654x300.png, Kansas, Former Student Settle Lawsuit over Mold in Dorm. However, attorneys tend to "discount" this total amount with respect to its likelihood of succeeding at trial. Kendall Guthrie was one of them. zjeffries@postandcourier.com, The Berkeley Independent - Moncks Corner, SC, Mold U: Hundreds of Clemson students filed mold reports, 'Alarming' mold reports found in CCU, officials respond, Mold notebook: Which SC colleges had the most mold reports, SC State student's death continues to spawn questions, Plagued by errors and delay in the primary, Beaufort County says the general election is on track, Editorial: The simple first step to solving the insidious problem of mold in SC colleges, SC coroner flouts transparency laws, hires ex-SC State police chief caught in scam, Richland Two superintendent resigns after 6-hour closed-door board meeting, Charleston's Carnival ship set sail on a cruise to nowhere. Address water problems in the dorm, such as soaked carpets. Sally and her husband, Chris Petrides, became first-time parents in 1997 at the ripe-old age of 45. First, they bring in their maintenance team and [] Students said they found mold on couches and chairs, around air ducts and on a mattress. There were so many that the facilities department couldnt empty them alone. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the university denies the claims but agreed to pay Laine Evans $20,000 and her attorneys $20,000 to settle the lawsuit. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. And by the way, all of this was going on during the first round of midterms of my freshman year., Fed up, he sought a meeting with Andrew Hsu, the colleges president, who listened intently. When they were done, a staffer handed Milliken a commemorative coin and had him pose for a photo with Hsu. He was sick, sneezing, coughing, face was white and clammy.. During the past two years and before the renovation began, students reported more than 100 mold problems. Dartmouth College 2021: Students found mold in multiple dorm rooms across campus and reported adverse health effects that persisted even after the rooms were cleaned. With mold in college dorms on the rise, students may be headed into a situation far more impactful than staying on top of their higher education. The stakes are high for students who live with mold and universities responsible for providing safe housing. Adenovirus outbreak claims its 11th victim at a pediatric care center in Wanaque, New Jersey. What I hope desperately is that a reader will understand that none of these colleges and universities are going to be like, Oh, we don't care. The opposite is true. John A. Carlos II / Special to The Post and Courier, Amya Carr, 21, died on April 18, 2022, of an apparent asthma attack at her dorm at South Carolina State University. Mold affects people in many different ways, he said. Her dorm complex had a history of mold complaints 32 during the past two years, records show. 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